This issue of Black Panther reveals Captain America's first meeting with the King of Wakanda—not T'Challa, whom he met in Tales of Suspense #97, but rather his father T'Chaka, whom he met in early 1941, months before the United States entered World War II. (This meeting would later be expanded and revised in the Captain... Continue Reading →
Avengers #38-44 and Annual 2001 (March-September 2001)
These issues herald a new era for Earth's Mightiest Heroes and their book, as Captain America returns to the team full-time, and writer Kurt Busiek is joined by the legendary team of Alan Davis and Mark Farmer on pencils and inks (respectively) for the first six issues, the last three of which also launch "The... Continue Reading →
Avengers #36-37 and Black Panther #27 (January-February 2001)
These two issues of Avengers see Captain America continue his gradual and tentative return to the team what found him all those years ago. He doesn't appear in these issues extensively, but when he does, it is great to see him drawn by Steve Epting, familiar from his incredible work (with Tom Palmer's inks) on... Continue Reading →
Avengers #27 (April 2000) and Avengers Annual 2000
The new story in this issue of Avengers—alongside several reprints, in a conscious callback to the "100-Page Giants" published by DC Comics in the 1970s and again in conjunction with Walmart more recently—sees Captain America return briefly to the team for the Changing of the Roster, a time-honored tradition going back to the original Avengers #16... Continue Reading →
Fantastic Four #26-28 (February-April 2000)
No, you didn't access my Fantastic Four blog, Here's the Thing..., by accident. Captain America does appear alongside the Avengers in these three issues of Fantastic Four, but not in any way central in the main storyline, which I will try to summarize enough to make sense of Cap's involvement. (It will be quite a... Continue Reading →
Avengers #25, Iron Man #25, and Ant-Man’s Big Christmas #1 (February 2000)
This issue of Avengers continues several plot threads from previous issues, especially the public protests against the team, which may have the influence of the mysterious Triune Understanding behind them, and the abduction of the Juggernaut by the powerful Exemplars at the end of the last issue, whom Captain America engages with strategy and cunning... Continue Reading →
Avengers #23-24, Fantastic Four #24, and Generation X #59 (December 1999-January 2000)
These two issues of Avengers deal with a number of matters, including the unique romantic triangle between Vision, Wonder Man, and the Scarlet Witch, as well as growing intrigue surrounding the Triune Understanding, but most important for us is the protests regarding the Avengers roster, focusing on the (current) absence of Black heroes and the (also... Continue Reading →
Domination Factor: Avengers #1.2-4.8 and Domination Factor: Fantastic Four #3.7 (November 1999-February 2000)
The Domination Factor miniseries featured the Avengers and the Fantastic Four on parallel old-school adventures that revisited past eras in each team's history before converging at the end. Technically it consisted of two four-issue miniseries, one for each team, with the number after the decimal point indicating the order in the overall story; it started with Domination... Continue Reading →
Avengers #21-22 and Fantastic Four #23 (October-November 1999)
These two issues wrap up the "Ultron Unlimited" storyline that began in these three issues, and we finally learn what is "unlimited" about the killer robot this time around. As with the first part of the story, Captain America is seen mainly in a leadership role, this time in magnificent battle scenes (courtesy of George... Continue Reading →
Galactus the Devourer #1-6 (September 1999-March 2000)
As you would expect, this six-issue miniseries is more of a Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four tale—and will no doubt be covered eventually at new Fantastic Four blog, Here's the Thing...—but Captain America, as a member of the Avengers, does feature prominently enough to justify a dedicated post here as well. (However, only one of... Continue Reading →